1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical measuring apparatus and a method for analyzing an actual alternating voltage present on an electrical wire or electrical equipment whereby to determine the nature of the impedance source of the alternating voltage and to indicate an alarm condition if the voltage analyzed exceeds a threshold value and is representative of a low impedance source.
2. Description of Prior Art
When a lineman of an electrical utility company needs to work on an electrical power line or in dangerous proximity thereof, without live line work technique, it is imperative for the utility company to disconnect the power from such electrical line or electrical equipment. It is also imperative for the lineman to verify the presence of any voltage on that line before a work procedure is undertaken. In order to evaluate the voltage condition on a line, the lineman will connect a voltage detector on that line. Depending on the type of the voltage detector, the lineman will measure any voltage present thereon, such as induced voltages, or will detect any voltage conditions exceeding a predetermined threshold value. When a voltage is measured, it is up to the lineman to interpret whether the voltage reading, which is on the disconnected line, is dangerous or not, that is to say, if the voltage is derived from a high impedance source such as with induced voltages from adjoining lines or from a low impedance source which is the actual distribution network which is highly dangerous and to which the line may still be connected. Accordingly, an interpretation error can be fatal for the lineman if one was to proceed to install a ground on the line. In order to illustrate this point, we can imagine a dangerous situation where a 25 kV line from which the power has been disconnected breaks and falls on a live 600 volts line. The detector attached to the 25 kV line will indicate a very low voltage relative to the expected voltage and the lineman may therefore interpret this low voltage as being an induced voltage rather than a 600 volts supply from the low impedance distribution network. More dangerous would be the case if the detector would have a threshold where the 600 volts were below the threshold and no danger would be indicated on the voltmeter.